Flea dust in the apartment: how to use, does dust soap help?

Flea dust is a popular and affordable insectoacaricidal agent. It is also used against bedbugs, cockroaches and other pests, but it is more effective against fleas. These insects are known for their miniature size and jumping ability. They can get into the apartment from basements, entrances, they can be brought on shoes and clothes. Fleas multiply very quickly and disturb the peace with their presence. They spoil the aesthetics of the room and bite hard, causing itching and painful lumps.

There are several ways to get rid of them. Dust can eliminate pests effectively and in the shortest possible time.

Dust: composition and properties

Dust is an effective insecticide, which is produced in the form of a fine crystalline powder of gray (sometimes yellowish) color. The active ingredients of the drug are fenthion and deltamethrin. The composition often contains auxiliary components, including talc and compounds that attract parasites.

The dust is completely diluted in organic solvents, but upon contact with water it forms an emulsion. It is interesting that the Swiss chemist P. Müller received the Nobel Prize for the discovery and study of the properties of the insecticide.

The principle of operation of the product

This insecticide belongs to the group of cumulative poisons. The product remains on horizontal surfaces for a long time. Small particles of dust stick to the covering tissues of fleas and get inside the parasites. As the insecticide accumulates in the body, it causes paralysis and then death of insects.

Particles of the substance do not adhere well to vertical surfaces.

If you treat the floor with the solution, the effectiveness of the product will remain for 1-2 weeks.

Universal rules

You don't know where to buy dust? In a specialized store you will be offered dry powder, a ready-made solution, as well as a mixture with other chemicals. Fleas have a narrow food specialization, and therefore it is much more difficult to fight them than, for example, cockroaches. They do not eat poisonous baits; you can get rid of them only with two types of substances:

Aerosols or sprays that penetrate into the body with air. Such means help to clear the room of adults within twenty-four hours.
Suspensions or powders that enter the parasite’s body through the integument.

Instructions for use

Fleas parasitize the body of warm-blooded animals, but do not always live on the skin. More often, bloodsuckers settle near a food source, for example, they hide under parquet flooring, in cracks on the floor, behind baseboards, in rooms with high humidity (in the bathroom, in the kitchen).

Fleas hide under hardwood floors and in cracks on the floor.

Dust powder can be used in different ways:

Sometimes the cracks in the floor and the space behind the furniture are filled with a dry product and left for a while. This method is suitable for treating non-residential premises. If there are children or pets in the house, leaving insecticide on the floor is dangerous.
The powder can be diluted with water, after which the resulting emulsion can be used to spray furniture and wash floors. For residential buildings this method is more preferable.

Types of flea dust

Different companies produce this insecticide, adding certain auxiliary components to the composition.

"Double"

The drug is available in powder form, packaged in convenient packaging. The main active components are esfenvalerate (concentration is 0.01%) and zeta-cypermethrin (0.02%). The product also contains piperonyl butoxide, which acts as a synergist and increases the effectiveness of the insecticide.

The product “FAS-Double” is intended for the destruction of fleas.

"Baygon"

The product is intended for eliminating fleas and lice at home. Propoxur is used as the active component (concentration - 1%). The composition contains special additives, thanks to which the dust adheres to the integument of insects. The drug can accumulate in the body of warm-blooded animals, so it must be used carefully.

"Tornado"

A universal remedy that can be used to combat any crawling insects. The composition contains cypermethrin, boric acid and talc as a filler. 150 g of insecticide is enough to treat 100 sq.m. The drug is characterized by a low level of toxicity and is safe for pets, therefore it is often used to clean pets’ bedding and beds from fleas.

“Tornado” is a universal remedy for all insects.

"Clean house"

One of the most popular products, which is available not only in powder form, but also in the form of ready-made emulsions and chalk for treating vertical surfaces. The active components of the insecticide are malathion and permethrin. The drug retains its properties even when the room temperature increases or decreases.

Symptoms

The animal exhibits the following symptoms:

anxiety;
constant scratching or licking of certain parts of the body;
presence of small wounds;
visual observation of insects.

Take a comb with fine and frequent teeth, place the animal on a flat white surface (for example, on a sheet of paper). Comb a couple of times and look at the leaf - fleas and flea feces from the undigested blood of the animal will be clearly visible on the white.

If you find any of the above in your pet, you should immediately resort to parasite control.

Remember that an indoor cat does not have to be outside to pick up fleas. You can carry larvae or eggs on your shoes.

How to use home cleaner

Instructions for use:

Before the procedure, you need to move the furniture away from the walls and carry out a thorough dry cleaning with a vacuum cleaner.
The prepared dust solution is used for cleaning floors. It is important to carefully treat baseboards and cracks.
Hard-to-reach areas of the room can be sprayed with a spray bottle.
Upon completion of the procedure, the windows and doors to the room must be closed. It is not recommended to enter the premises for the next 6 hours.
Later, it is recommended to wash working surfaces (tables, shelves, window sills) and door handles with a warm soda solution.

Before cleaning your home from fleas, you need to move furniture away from the walls.

Breeding methods

The powder is diluted with warm water - the substance will lose its properties in a hot liquid, and will not dissolve in a cold liquid.

Dosage:

with a slight degree of infection, take 20 g of the drug per 1 liter of water;
if the flea population is large, then the dose can be increased to 40 g per 1 liter.

Application of dust soap

Dust soap is used to remove blood-sucking parasites that live on the skin of dogs and cats. The method of application is simple: first you need to wet the animal’s fur, lather the skin and leave the foam for 15-25 minutes. After this, it is recommended to rinse off the remaining product thoroughly.

Dust soap is one of the available, effective insecticides.

Processing rules

The substance is used in two ways:

Scatter it like powder in corners, floor cracks, between furniture joints, on carpet pile, in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink.
Dilute with water and spray as a spray or wash the floors with the solution.

The second method is more effective and safer for disinsection of an apartment, since it allows you to treat a larger area with a lower concentration than powder.

Before using the dust yourself, it is recommended to wear personal protective equipment:

mask or gauze bandage;
glasses;
special suit or old clothes;
rubber or vinyl gloves.

Preparing a room for disinfestation includes the following actions:

Remove food and dishes from the room.
Hide in closets or wash bed linen and clothes.
Remove aquariums and terrariums and cover indoor plants with polyethylene.
Move furniture away from the walls and clear carpets.
Close the windows, plug visible cracks, ensuring tightness.

Danger to humans

If you follow safety rules, treating your apartment with insecticides will not adversely affect the health of residents or warm-blooded pets. But inhaling dust or accidentally getting it into the digestive tract is dangerous, because... may lead to an allergic reaction.

The active components of the insecticide can accumulate in the human body.

If the concentration of substances constantly increases, this can lead to the development of hepatitis, pathologies of the heart and blood vessels, diseases of the respiratory system, and muscle paralysis.

Features of integrated flea control

Dust powder is one of the most accessible, cheap and easy to use products. But to remove fleas, it is not enough to walk across the floor with a rag soaked in an insecticide solution. In such a situation, an integrated approach is important:

Before treatment, thoroughly vacuum the floor, move furniture away, and treat corners and baseboards.
It is important to clean all textiles in which fleas could lay eggs. Clothes, bedding, and bedspreads must be washed in hot water using disinfectants.
To treat carpets, sofas and other upholstered furniture, it is better to use a steam generator, because... parasites die at high temperatures.
Fleas are also sensitive to cold. In winter, you can take carpets and other textiles outside or leave them on the balcony for several hours.

Before treatment, you need to vacuum the floor.

Traditional ways to get rid of lice at home

Many generations previously resorted to treating head lice with soap, so there is no doubt about its effectiveness. Usually they resort to using tar, dust and laundry soap.

IMPORTANT! Particular attention should be paid to the last type of soap. It should contain only sodium or potassium salt, fatty acids and nothing more!

Treatment of head lice with the soap products described above has many advantages:

ease of use;
high efficiency;
tar soap against lice also improves the appearance and health of hair;
tar and laundry soap are clean and safe preparations from an environmental point of view.

We suggest you familiarize yourself with How to make a mousetrap with your own hands at home. This method of treatment is not without its drawbacks. A significant disadvantage is soap that contains dust. The substance has the ability to accumulate in the human body even with small applications.

Laundry and tar soap do not have any disadvantages that are hazardous to health, so they can be used without any fear. The only drawback is the rather strong and unpleasant smell.

In addition to using dust and tar soap against lice, there are other folk methods that will help get rid of parasites without causing harm to the body. The available and most common means are:

regular or apple cider vinegar diluted with water and salt;
tea tree oil;
cranberry juice;
kerosene diluted with vegetable oil.

The best and most effective method of treating head lice, especially in children, is daily combing of adults with a special thick comb. This method can remove any lice infestation. The main condition in the procedure is systematic combing.

Lice remedies

The most popular products are sprays and aerosols based on permethrin, tetramethrin and malathion. For children, shampoos and gels are most often used, which have a mild effect on the scalp and the body as a whole. The latest modern development in the fight against parasites is an electronic comb, which helps get rid of them not only mechanically, but also with an electrical discharge. When the insects hit the teeth of the comb, they are subjected to a small electrical discharge, which is enough to kill them.

Dust selection criteria

When choosing insecticides, you need to pay attention to the following characteristics:

composition - if the powder contains substances that attract parasites, then the effect of its use will be more pronounced;
release form - aerosols are much more dangerous than soap and products for preparing emulsions;
hazard class – level IV products are considered relatively harmless; if the packaging indicates class III or II, it is better to refuse the purchase;
cost of the product - more expensive insecticides are not always more effective.

Characteristics

A piece of dust soap is a simple analogue of laundry soap, to which a certain amount of insecticide has been added. Some people confuse tar and dust soap. The second has no cosmetic properties; it can only be used to destroy domestic parasites. The use of tar soap helps improve the condition of the hair and scalp, but it will not help get rid of lice.

Previously, dust was used to exterminate various insects: pests and parasites. Even if there was no urgent need for this product, it was poured into all the cracks, behind sofas, under baseboards. Nowadays dust is rarely used; more often special aerosols are purchased instead. Scientists have proven the negative impact of this insecticide on the human nervous system, so it is practically not used to treat city apartments against parasites. For those people who are allergic to various chemicals, it is not advisable to use dust to kill bedbugs and fleas. Allergy sufferers may be advised to purchase special powder preparations that do not cause side effects.

However, it is far from a fact that modern analogues of the product in question do not contain even greater quantities of substances hazardous to human health.

Be sure to study the composition of the aerosol, as well as how to use it and the basic precautions that must be strictly followed to combat parasites

What precautions should you take?

Dust should be used carefully, following the safety instructions:

For processing, you need special clothing that fits tightly to the body, as well as a mask, gloves and safety glasses.
During the procedure, the windows must be opened - the room must be ventilated.
Do not smoke, drink, or eat food while in contact with the solution.
If you have pets, it is better to move them to another place for a few days.
After treatment, clothes should be removed and washed at high temperature, and take a shower in case the product gets on your skin and hair.

Reviews about the effectiveness of the drug

Olga, 54 years old, Astrakhan: “I treated the floors in the apartment with the product. The fleas disappeared almost instantly. Over the next few days, I vacuumed the room daily to pick up dead parasites from the floor, because... The effect of the dust lasts for more than a week. I am completely satisfied with the result.”

Igor, 47 years old, Rostov-on-Don: “I used the solution to treat the basement at the dacha. After the first procedure, the number of insects decreased, but they did not disappear. Another treatment was needed to completely remove the parasites.”

Anna, 35 years old, Kazan: “I spent a long time choosing the right product to fight fleas. Dust turned out to be the most affordable and easy to use. She treated not only floors, but also upholstered furniture and horizontal surfaces. After the procedure, the room was closed for a day. The parasites have completely disappeared."